Fantasy Football: Ranking bridge QBs for dynasty

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The 2026 NFL Draft class is not shaping up to be ideal for quarterback-needy teams, in fantasy football and real life.

Indiana‘s Fernando Mendoza (91.6 PFF overall grade), the No. 2 prospect on the PFF Big Board, looks set to go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. But after that, it’s hard to pencil in any signal-caller to a particular landing spot, which makes them instantly fantasy-relevant.

That means there is a market for the bridge quarterback. Sometimes, you just need a stopgap for a roster before targeting a long-term answer at the position. That is true for both fantasy and many NFL teams.

The big question is, who should you target? In superflex leagues, even serviceable backups are rostered. If you need a bridge, you may have to give up some draft assets, so you need it to be worth your while.

1. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Tagovailoa’s 61.2 PFF overall grade in 2025 ranked him 31st among quarterbacks with at least 250 dropbacks — just above J.J. McCarthy (61.8) and just below Justin Fields (67.3). That is not good company.

The Dolphins will almost certainly be moving on from the former fifth overall pick this offseason. Wherever he lands, he’s likely going to be a bridge there until a long-term option presents itself.

Working in Tagovailoa’s favor is his age and the fact that he has produced a QB1 fantasy season in the not-too-distant past. The Alabama product is still a couple of years away from turning 30, and in 2023, he posted an elite 90.2 PFF passing grade with 29 touchdowns and 14 picks on his way to a QB9 finish in standard-scoring PPR formats.

That’s enough to take a punt on him with some mid-round draft assets. His age means there’s a small window where his stock could improve slightly, so you could move off him for a profit or keep him as a third quarterback option on your roster (everybody needs depth).

2. Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers

Fun fact: Willis (92.3) was actually the highest-graded Packers quarterback during the 2025 season. So this is classic gaslighting. Yes, he took only 47 dropbacks compared to Jordan Love’s (88.5) 493. But Willis was impressive when he had to step in for Love this season.

Willis is heading into free agency as an intriguing option. It’s hard to know if his success in Green Bay will carry over to a new situation. One would imagine if he moves on, it’s only going to be for a starting gig — or at least the chance to earnestly compete for it.

In 10 appearances for the Packers, Willis recorded 89 passing attempts. Some of that was mop-up duty. But even when looking at games in which he handled at least 15 dropbacks (five games), Willis has averaged just 15.6 pass attempts per outing.

The point is, he isn’t a high-volume passer; it’s the rushing upside you’re interested in. Willis has run the ball 42 times in Green Bay and has ripped off 12 runs for more than 10 yards.

There is every chance he could fade back to more like what he looked like in Tennessee in a new environment. And his passing limitations mean he may never be anything more than a bridge starter with a very intriguing upside.

3. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals

Brissett is a bridge quarterback through and through.

Here are just some of the quarterbacks whom Brissett (six) had more top-10 weekly finishes than in 2025, not including Week 18: Baker Mayfield (five), Bo Nix (four) and Jordan Love (four).

It’s not an unimpressive list at all, and Brissett finished as the QB15 overall, showing he can be a genuinely productive fantasy quarterback. He was very nearly the second-ranked player on this list, but Willis' upside was too enticing. Brissett is entering his age-34 season and offers a very clear skill set.

That's not bad, but in a world where all the signal-callers on this list could play their way to the bench if given the starting gig to begin with, you at least want to try and bet on the guy with the upside.

Across 13 games for the Cardinals this season, Brissett registered 17 big-time throws to 16 turnover-worthy plays, ranking him 21st and 15th, respectively, among qualifying quarterbacks. He is aggressively average, and that’s absolutely fine for what you need in a bridge starter.

With the Cardinals on the hunt for a new head coach — and Kyler Murray’s status on the team being highly questionable — it’s possible Brissett will be the opening day starter for Arizona.

4. Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers

Jones still has a year left on his contract in San Francisco, meaning any starting gig for him is going to have to come via trade. But the former New England Patriot looked the part in eight games during Brock Purdy’s injury absence.

Although it was a smaller sample size, Jones was, statistically, playing at the level he did during his promising rookie season. This year, he logged a 77.1 PFF overall grade, not a million miles away from his 78.9 mark as a rookie. His yards per attempt also shot back up to above his 2021 mark (7.4 vs. 7.3 in 2021).

There is always a but. Jones has been tied to one of the best offensive minds of his generation in Kyle Shanahan. Even with the promising stint as the starter, Jones still tossed up 10 turnover-worthy plays. For his career, he has 73 big-time throws to 72 turnover-worthy plays. Living like that is one way to end up back on the bench.

If Jones is given a chance to start, the unknown will be what he looks like in a system that isn’t masterminded by Shanahan.

5. Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals

Unlike another grizzled, aging quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, Flacco doesn’t have the air of a man looking to retire.

It’s plausible he’s back with the Bengals as Joe Burrow’s backup. It’s also plausible that he continues this gunslinger-for-hire role with which he’s found a nice groove. And he really is slinging it. In 10 starts last season, Flacco racked up at least 40 passing attempts in six of them. That is lunacy.

It’s more palatable when your receivers are Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. But registering 90 pass attempts in the first two weeks of the season — and not even topping 200 passing yards in one — when Jerry Jeudy is your top wide-out is suboptimal.

Flacco recorded three top-10 weekly finishes in 2025, all with the Bengals and all against less-than-stellar defenses in the Steelers, the Jets and the Bears.

He may be a more matchup-dependent starter than a true 17-game bridge quarterback. But who knows, maybe each week he will go from team to team, offering his gunslinging services to franchises in need of a more high-volume passing attack.